I Hate Flowers
by musicforlife101
Summary: Kensi loved these flowers because of their simplicity, and the man who sent them. Set after 1x13 Missing and contains strong references to 1x12 Past Lives. Spoilers for Identity lets say anything is fair game. Kensi/Callen strong friendship, some romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. This is my first fic for NCIS: Los Angeles so cut me a little slack, but I thought I'd add my two cents to this growing fandom and the Kensi/Callen pairing. Right now this is a two-shot, but if there are reviews for more I might keep writing or write a companion piece.**

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It was late by the time Kensi was getting ready to leave. She had spent the better part of the past few hours since returning to the office after leaving Dom's finishing up her paperwork and reviewing the scare leads they had on his whereabouts. At that time of night, she was fairly certain she was the only one still there, but Callen crashing on a couch somewhere in the building wasn't out of the question either. Chuckling at the thought, Kensi trudged down the last few stairs and made her way toward her desk for her bag. What was sitting there surprised her, though. Sure there were the usual bits of office work and the vase which had held Corby's flowers until she gladly threw them in the dumpster outside the night of the team outing when Dom was taken. She forced herself not to think of the other things on her desk, but to focus on what hadn't been there before. On top of everything else, in the middle of her desk, sat two white daisies tied together with a small blue ribbon and underneath that was a note.

Kensi slid it out from under the flowers and held it up to read. It was hand written in decidedly perfect cursive on a blank piece of notepad paper. It simply read: _For you, just because you deserve a little something every now and then, especially after the week we've had, even if they aren't nearly as beautiful as you are._ And she loved the flowers and the note, because of the simplicity of them both. There were no strings attached, no ostentatious displays of wealth or beauty, no grand gestures to gain attention or trust, and no want of information or connections. There was simply care for her and there was only one person in the entire office who knew her favorite flowers were daisies and she knew exactly where to find him.

Deciding to play dumb for a few moments longer, she picked up the vase from her desk and headed to the kitchen. She washed it out and grabbed a small vase from the cabinet. Hetty wouldn't mind, much. Turning on the tap, Kensi put a little water in and took the vase back to her desk, setting it in the middle of the table, where her space became Callen's. Then she dropped the flowers delicately into the water. Perfect.

Once that was finished, she picked up her bag and slung it over one shoulder. Then she slipped around the screen divider into their little lounge area when Callen was pretending to sleep on the couch. She smiled down at him before bending closer. Setting one hand on his shoulder to wake him from his faux sleep, she bent to speak softly near his ear.

"My couch is free and much more comfortable, if you'd like." Then she stood and turned to leave, a content smile gracing her face for the first time all day. Before she could go, a hand closed lightly around hers, keeping her in place.

"Can I get a ride?" Callen asked, his eyes still closed as if opening them was too much effort, but his hand still clasped around hers so much more tender than the demanding grip Corby had even before he pulled out the gun not much more than a day previously and so much softer than how he had held her when she was portraying Claudia.

"Of course," she replied, watching in amusement as he opened his eyes and pulled himself up from the couch, grabbing his bag on the way. His smile said thank you, and his hand still holding onto hers was more support than any words could have been. It had been a long week and an even longer month or two, but he made it bearable.

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**Honestly, I wrote this because Kensi kept saying how she hated flowers and I really wanted to write a situation where she would enjoy receiving them. So the next chapter should be up very soon, probably when I get home in the evening. Please leave me a review if you feel so inclined and let me know what you think. =]**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry it took me so long to get this up. I've created this habit for myself that I won't post anything to a multi-chapter fic until I've got the next chapter written so I won't just stop writing and not finish. Chapter three is written and I have yet to decide if I will continue from there. I'm hoping to have it up for you pretty soon-ish.**

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Kensi drove them back to her apartment, as they made pleasant car conversation. It was distinctly anti-work and was probably the most relaxing twenty minutes either of them had found in the last week. By the time they reached the parking lot, things didn't feel so bleak. She led Callen up to her place, though he really didn't need to be guided there. It wasn't the first time she'd let him crash and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. When G was in between temporary places to live the whole team offered up couches and floors and guest rooms if they had any and if he didn't feel like burdening them, as that was how he saw it, or if he just wanted to be alone he would sleep on the couch at the office.

"Just make yourself at home. You know where everything is," Kensi said, walking through the front door and setting her bag down on the table. Her shoes were the first things to come off and Callen was always mesmerized by that action, every time he came to stay. If she was wearing tennis shoes, each one was toed off and her ankle quickly stretched before slipping off her socks with one finger. If she was wearing heels, like she was today, he was especially mesmerized. She would slip out of both shoes and then systematically rotate each ankle until the tension was released. Sometimes they would pop, and sometimes not, but each rotation was careful and perfectly Kensi. It was the same as going undercover for her. She loved to play dress up, but she also loved taking the clothes off at the end of the mission and changing into sweats and a tank top and bare feet in front of a good movie at the end of a hard week. "I think I'm going to grab a shower and then the bathroom is all yours."

He nodded and set himself down on the couch, quickly taking off his shoes and picking up the remote. Until Kensi was finished in the bathroom, Callen channel surfed and found that there really wasn't that much on to watch. Then they switched places and Callen took his usual quick shower and came out dressed in his pajamas, blue pants and a grey t-shirt. He looked at Kensi, sitting on the couch cross-legged in a pair of black sweatpants and a green tank top.

"Were you going to go to bed now or do you want to stay up and watch a movie with me?" she asked. It was something of a ritual for them now, and had been for quite a while. He crashed there a lot and they always seemed to end up watching movies and eating desert, or popcorn.

"A movie sounds good. What are we watching?" he asked.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Changeling, or Scent of a Woman," she replied, wanting to know his opinion.

"I don't care. It's your turn to pick." She grinned and picked up the first movie. It was romantic comedy night apparently, no need for the reminder caused by Angelina Jolie's missing son or the drama of a suicidal, blind Al Pacino. In reality, Callen didn't mind watching a 'chick flick with her. He enjoyed spending time with Kensi. He had been completely honest when he'd said she was his favorite agent.

After the movie, they turned out the lights and Callen got stretched out with his pillow and blanket on the couch, which was quite a bit longer than the one at the office. Meanwhile, Kensi took their desert dishes to the sink and rinsed them, figuring she'd do dishes properly the next day; she'd done enough dishes that night and she didn't need another reminder of Dom. Then she made the return trip through the living room to her bedroom, stopping beside her guest, who was on his way to dreamland. She bent down next to him once more and lay and hand gently on his cheek. Almost unconsciously, he leaned into it, though he wasn't quite asleep yet.

"Thank you for the flowers," she whispered in a tone that conveyed much more than gratitude. Then she pecked him on the cheek, so softly he wasn't sure for a moment that her lips even made contact with his skin. But that millisecond after she'd pulled away, he felt the loss and knew. "Good night, Callen."

"Good night, Kensi," he whispered after her as she slipped into her room for the night, and then he rolled over to face the back of the couch and closed his eyes. There had been enough turmoil for one week, it was time for sleep.

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**Well, I hope you guys liked it. Leave a review please if you feel so inclined. Thanks for reading! =]**


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